This is a dialogue between Leo Correa (WCCM Director of Communications) and Marco Bosio, from WCCM Italy.
Marco, the theme for 2026 is ‘The Future of Religion’. Can you share any thoughts about this theme? How do you see this theme?
Marco Bosio: Well, I love the, You heard about it, some days ago, and, I believe it is very, let’s say, very timely. We see that the, the pace, the speed at which, all cultures that the world has been going, it’s getting really faster and faster. Things are happening at a much, much, faster speed than it was before.
Everything is completely different. From my point of view as a Christian, I see the changes in the church, which is under, strong, a big tranformation. Again, as seen from the point of view or someone who is a Christian, we see so many question marks. People in a country like Italy, where used to be connected with the church, to be Christians in a certain way, I can see that they got lost because there is no trust.
This is also related to the fact that the enormous technological development brought so many challenges to the general way of thinking that, the Christian religion was just, bringing on into way of living. Now it seems that, all the certainties, old strongholds, that just a few years ago were very clear… now everything is under challenge and everything is not clear anymore.
There are lots of doubts. And in the background there is this huge question: Is there a God? And if this God there really exists, how is it? What is it doing? Because it seems that we are lost in this life, in this reality where there is a huge lack of a point of reference. That’s. So that’s why I, I believe that this, theme of, the Future of Religion comes really at the very, very right moment.
These changes touch different institutions: the governments, even the the press, everybody is under question. If you start thinking about “fake news” and “what is the true?”. And I think that also involve religion, isn’t it? Also, how do you think contemplative communities like our community can help to shape this future?
Marco Bosio: What you’re saying is absolutely right, because in the politics, in the governments of so many countries, we can see the what they think and what they do. We see the kind of laws they implement or the kind of choices they are making coming from a point of view that is completely concentrated on profit, money, power,. Somehow everything, all these things are coming from an egocentric way of, living, of a strongly materialistic way of living.
If someone is just thinking that he/she is, on his/her own, and whatever it does should be something that can bring profit to himself or herself. A small group of people, community, family, political party, whatever you want to call. Then this kind of way of thinking is not coming from the spirit, is not coming from what is deeply inside in our heart. On the contrary it is just coming from a rational point of view , which has very little to offer. You know, just getting richer, getting more power and power is money, and money is power. So, a contemplative community can help in understanding that this way of doing things, at every level, the political, the social, the family level, the individual level is just nothing. It will bring to nothing, is only creating death and suffering to everyone. And contemplative communities can really help individuals. First of all, this, each one to go back to the center, to go back to what is really important.
Bring forward this possibility to change the shape of societies in a in a different way. (…) Now that the religions are put on hold and somehow, just pushed aside, the point of reference there was there and at least was producing moral ideas, ethical ideas, respect, all these things just crumbled down. Because people say: “well, we don’t believe in those things anymore”. And so what we do is just the centered on my self, on my own, on my good, and forget about the others. So yeah, the sense of community or even human respect and all that value is kind of lost is if you I mean, if there is no God, there is nothing.
